USMCFLYR

They all look pretty real to me - sight and sound!

USMCFLYR

UAL T38 Phlyer

No, I'd bet money this is real. Most of the real low shots you see were obviously made in Afghanistan. People get bored and/or horny, and do crazy things. The French stuff (F-1Cs in desert valleys, the KC-135F at 100 ft) are, I believe, in Chad.

The three Jags in the "Top 10" video were from a deployment to Corsica in the 1980s.


The one you cited: I think this is Afghanistan. Depending on your viewpoint, that is either the bravest---or stupidest---low pass I have ever seen. The centerline pod only clears that guy's head by about a foot.

xjtguy

Maybe, but do you think the cameraman is flinching, or moving in reaction to bow wave/wake?

If it's bow wave/wake, the dude standing up would do the same thing.

UAL T38 Phlyer

Good points; I watched it several times and froze it to try and find flaws.

Shadows seem to line-up (usually a weak-point of fakes).

My experience in fighters is that a bow-wave is either very small or non-existent. For example, the F-4 would not move the tail of the KC-135 or KC-10 around---but I know big jets do when taking fuel.

The subject of the video seems to have his feet placed one forward (his left) and the other slightly behind and sideways (his right), which would be the best way to brace for such an event. I would think a guy facing the jet would have a better ability to time/brace himself, and a guy filming would have a distorted view---a flinch or shock effect.

Details of him are a blur during the camera's movement, so hard to prove.

It is also possible the Mirage pulled up abruptly as he passed the subject. THAT would direct the thrust of the engine towards the ground and the cameraman....possibly mising the subject.

So, good points. I still lean towards real, but I admit it is possible to be a fake.

xjtguy

All good points as well;

True, but he appears to be standing upright, with the rear leg straight and the left slightly angled with hands on hips. Looks more like a casual stance than as if he's leaning into it.

True, but look how close it comes to the camera and the timing of the camera movement. If it was indeed due to abrupt pull up, it would have caused the camera to move later than it does. The camera flinch is almost instantaneous with passing over it. In the slo mo, the camera moves right as the airplane leaves the frame.